I was reviewing the latest health news this past week, and the following headline stopped me in my tracks:
“Ontario’s opioid-related death toll surged to 2,050 during pandemic in 2020, new report finds” – CBC
To see the full news article, click here.
This is quite concerning, considering that upto 80 per cent of the population will experience back pain at least once in their lifetime.
But what if you’re living with chronic back pain? Where can you turn for help? For too many of us, prescription painkillers, like opioids, are our first remedy to manage persistent pain, but there’s a whole world of medication-free options that may be able to help.
The 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and the American College of Physicians suggest trying various medication-free treatments or therapies that chiropractors can provide, such as spinal manipulation and therapeutic exercise programs.
Key Questions to Ask Your Doctor or Health Care Professional
If you have non-cancer, long-term (‘chronic’) back pain, consider asking your doctor or the health care professional overseeing your care the following questions about managing it and any medication you are taking:
1. Would a trial of evidence-based, conservative, therapy, including chiropractic care and physical therapy, help manage my pain?
Adding manual therapy like spinal manipulation to standard medical care has been clinically shown to be a viable, non-invasive and evidence-based approach to managing your spine, muscles, tendons, joints or nervous system-related’ pain and dysfunction.
2. Is the medication I am taking an opioid? If so, is there an alternative medication or treatment that I could try first? Are there any non-opioid pain relievers I could take instead?
Some prescription, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as celecoxib (Celebrex) and diclofenac (Voltaren), may cause some side effects, when compared to over-the-counter NSAIDs, but they will not lead to dependence or addiction.
3. Is this newly prescribed or recommended medication safe to take with my other medications?
Be sure to review the full list of prescribed and over-the-counter medications you are taking with your doctor.
